“Now is the time”: Dan Andrews relaxes lockdown
Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that lockdown will officially be coming to an almighty end.
In a brief statement on Monday afternoon, Mr Andrews told Melburnians the news they have been waiting to hear.
Melbourne is set to move onto its Third Step.
"Under the Third Step, and from 11:59 pm on Tuesday, Melbourne will move from "stay home" to "stay safe", with no more restrictions on the reasons to leave home," the Premier said.
The 25km limit will still remain in place and so will the border between regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne.
"Under the Third Step, Melbourne's cafes, restaurants and pubs can reopen. Outdoors with a limit of up to 50, indoors up to 20. Density limits, record keeping and COVIDSafe Plans also apply.
"Remaining retail will also open. Beauty and personal care services can resume. And for those businesses who need to get ready for their reopening – staff will be able to attend onsite straight away."
Mr Andrews has announced that from 11:59 pm Tuesday, Melbourne residents can expect:
- All retail to open
- Restaurants, cafes and bars to reopen with 50 people allowed to dine outdoors and 20 indoors
- Beauty, personal services and tattooing – provided customers and staff are wearing a mask at all times – to reopen
- Outdoor community sport for under 18 and outdoor noncontact sport for adults will recommence
- Four reasons to leave home will be removed
- Outdoor gatherings remain at maximum of 10 people
- Religious gatherings indoors will allow a maximum of 10 people inside plus one faith leader.
- Outside a religious gathering, a maximum of 20 people plus one faith leader
- Weddings will increase to maximum of 10 people
- Funerals will increase to a maximum of 20 mourners
Further relaxations are then expected to take place from November 8:
"On the eight of November we will be able to, fully explain to every Victorian city and country, what the November looks like, and what a COVID-19 Christmas will look like," the premier said.
"We know that longer term roadmap is very important, we will have more certainty and be able to provide more detail if we just wait these next 10 days and then produce those, the more complete picture for the rest of the year, on November 8, we will have the benefit of having been open for those 10 days and we will be able to complete that picture of what the rest of 2020 looks like."